International Trade and CITES

CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES OF FAUNA AND FLORA (CITES)


Introduction

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was drafted and initially signed in 1973 in Washington. It entered into force in 1975. The treaty now has 163 Parties.


CITES Basics

The structure of CITES is similar to the US Endangered Species Act, in that species are listed in Appendices according to their conservation status. In addition, listed species must meet the test that trade is at least in part contributing to their decline. CITES regulates international trade in species of animals and plants according to their conservation status.

  • Appendix I species are species in danger of extinction, for which all commercial trade is prohibited.
  • Appendix II species are not necessarily threatened with extinction, but may become so unless trade is strictly regulated. These include species that are in international trade and are vulnerable to overexploitation. Regulated trade is allowed provided that the exporting country issues a permit that includes findings that the specimens were legally acquired, and the trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the species or its role in the ecosystem.
  • Appendix III. A country may unilaterally (without a vote) list in Appendix III any species which is subject to regulation within its jurisdiction for which the cooperation of other Parties is needed. Importing countries must check for export permits for the species issued by the country of origin for Appendix III species and certificates of origin from all other countries.

Countries may unilaterally list species for which they have domestic regulation in Appendix III at any time. Decisions concerning Appendix I and II species listings and resolutions are made at meetings of the Conference of the Parties which are convened approximately every two years. The last Conference of the Parties (COP12) was convened in November, 2002, in Santiago, Chile. The next COP will be in October 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand.


US Participation in CITES

The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) of the Department of Interior is the lead agency for implementation of the Convention. The bulk of CITES-listed species are under FWS jurisdiction. However, many species under the jurisdiction of NMFS (see below) are listed, either on Appendix I or II. The National Marine Fisheries Service draws on the considerable expertise of its regional offices and science centers in order to participate fully in the implementation of CITES for species under its jurisdiction.


Marine Species in CITES

The marine species whose trade is regulated by CITES include following:

Appendix I (Hundreds of species):

  • all great whales (species subject to management by the International Whaling Commission)
  • all marine turtles
  • six fur seal species
  • coelacanths

Appendix II (thousands of species):

  • all dolphins
  • basking shark
  • whale shark
  • all sturgeon species
  • queen conch
  • all giant clam species
  • seahorses
  • all stony coral species
  • all antipatharian (black coral) species


12th Meeting of the Conference of the CITES Parties (COP12)

At the most recent CITES meeting, many marine issues were added to the workplan of CITES. Among the decisions taken at CITES, were these concerning marine species:

  • defeat of two proposals of Japan to re-open trade in minke and Bryde’s whales;
  • passage of a joint US-Japan resolution calling for a Memorandum of Understanding between CITES and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to review implementation of Appendix II listings for marine fish species and to provide for general coordination between the two bodies;
  • passage of a joint Chile-Australia resolution establishing a mechanism for cooperation between the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and CITES (the US assisted the development of this compromise);
  • passage of a resolution of Ecuador and Australia directing the Animals Committee to review progress of Member Countries and FAO towards implementation of its International Plan of Action for Sharks;
  • passage of a US proposal for listing of seahorses in Appendix II;
  • passage of a US proposal for establishment of a working group within the CITES Animals Committee to consider the biological and trade status of sea cucumbers;
  • passage of a proposal of India, Philippines and Madagascar for listing of whale
    sharks in Appendix II;
  • passage of a proposal of the United Kingdom, on behalf of the European Union, to list basking sharks in Appendix II;
  • passage of a proposal of the Republic of Georgia to list bottlenose dolphins from the Black Sea in Appendix II with a zero quota, thus providing stricter regulation of trade;
  • defeat of a proposal of the UK, on behalf of the Cayman Islands, to allow trade in green turtle shells from the Cayman Turtle Farm; and
  • passage of a resolution calling for further review of the CITES criteria, including reviews of selected taxa and how the criteria apply to them.


Current NOAA Fisheries CITES Activities

In addition to preparations for the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP13), NOAA Fisheries is involved in the following intersessional activities:

• Organization of workshops for seahorse implementation and status and trade of sea cucumbers;
• Active participation in the Significant Trade Review of Queen Conch (Strombus gigas);
• Presentation about the CITES Significant Trade process to the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute;
• Contribute to the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, particularly in the development of a resolution concerning international trade in coral reef ecosystem species (coral, queen conch, sea cucumbers, seahorses);
• Contribute to review of upcoming Free Trade Agreement for Central America, particularly concerning trade in coral reef ecosystem species (coral, queen conch, sea cucumbers, seahorses);
• Contribute to US-initiated meeting of all governments in the Wider Caribbean concerning marine issues (White Water to Blue Water) - March 21-26, 2004;
• Contribute to preparations for meetings of FAO COFI and FAO Sub-Committee on Fish Trade to foster collaboration between CITES and FAO concerning listing and implementation of marine fish species in Appendix II;
• Collaboration between CITES and the Caribbean Environment Programme concerning development of a management plan for marine turtles in the Caribbean;
• Development and distribution of the Indo-Pacific coral identification guides in English and Bahasa; training in coral id for Law Enforcement;
• Collaboration between Fiji and the International Marinelife Alliance ( IMA) in an evaluation of the coral and live rock trade and development of a management plan for coral exports;
• Collaboration between Puerto Rico DNER and Mote Laboratories in an assessment of the trade in coral reef fishes and development of an ornamental fisheries management plan.


QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RE: QUEEN CONCH AND CITES

What is CITES?
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) (pronounced SIGHT-eez) was drafted and initially signed in 1973 in Washington. It entered into force in 1975. The treaty now has 163 Parties.

How does is work?
CITES regulates international trade in wildlife species, including fish according to their conservation status. The name is somewhat misleading in that these species are not only endangered species of animals and plants, but also those which might become endangered if they are not subject to strict controls.

Following are the definitions and requirements for the various levels of regulation in CITES:

• Appendix I - species in danger of extinction - all commercial trade is prohibited.
• Appendix II - species vulnerable to overexploitation for whom commercial trade should be regulated so that they will not become threatened with extinction - regulated trade is allowed if the exporting country has issued a permit that includes a finding that the trade will not be detrimental to the survival of the species or its role in the ecosystem.
• Appendix III - species for which a country needs the cooperation of other countries in order to control international trade to complement domestic regulation - requires an export permit from the listing country and a certificate of origin from all other countries.

Countries may unilaterally list species for which they have domestic regulation in Appendix III at any time. Decisions concerning Appendix I and II species listings and resolutions are made at meetings of the Conference of the Parties which are convened approximately every two years. The last Conference of the Parties (COP11) was convened in November, 2002, in Santiago, Chile. The next COP (COP13) will be in October 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand.

What is queen conch?
Queen conch is a marine gastopod mollusc found throughout the Wider Caribbean (north to Bermuda, south to Brazil and throughout the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico) in sand, grassbed and coral reef habitats. An important subsistence and commercial fishery exists for queen conch. Imports of queen conch meat into the United States have steadily increased in the last decade. There has been increasing concern about the conch fishery as populations have been depleted. A by-product of the meat trade are conch shells, which are used for jewelry and sold as curios.

Why is queen conch regulated by CITES?
In 1990, the Parties to the Convention for the Protection and Development of the Marine Environment of the Wider Caribbean Region (Cartagena Convention) included queen conch in Annex II of its Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW Protocol) as a species that may be utilized on a rational and sustainable basis and that require protective measures. Because of this recognition, the United States proposed queen conch for listing in Appendix II at COP8 (1992), where the proposal was adopted. Queen conch was the first large scale fisheries product to be regulated by CITES.

What other traditional fisheries management occurs for this species?
Queen conch is managed under national regulation. In the United States, all takes of queen conch are prohibited in Florida and adjacent Federal waters. In Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, queen conch is regulated under the auspices of the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (http://www.caribbeanfmc.com/). No international regional fishery management organization exists in the Wider Caribbean.

Are there any other efforts in the region to conserve this species?
As early as July, 1991, at the "Workshop on Biology, Fisheries, Mariculture and Management of the Queen Conch (Strombus gigas)", held in Caracas, Venezuela, many scientific and management officers expressed their worry about the status of the resource in the Caribbean region and the need to implement a common regional management strategy for this fishery. In 1996, the first meeting of the International Queen Conch Initiative was convened in San Juan, Puerto Rico, supported by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council (CFMC), U.S. Department of Commerce), the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). . At that meeting, the Declaration of San Juan was adopted, in which countries in the region pledged to work together to strengthen bilateral, sub-regional and regional mechanisms to establish common management regimes for the sustainable use of queen conch. Countries have continued to meet in sub-groups to gather data about the status of stocks and to discuss topics of mutual concern. This effort, in which twenty countries have participated, is coordinated by the Caribbean Fishery Management Council of the United States. See http://www.strombusgigas.com/about_strombus_gigas_page.htm for more information about the Initiative.

So besides listing queen conch in Appendix II, what action has CITES taken?
Since 1995, CITES has been reviewing the biological and trade status of queen conch, under its Significant Trade Review process. A previous review was inconclusive and because of continuing concerns regarding the sustainable trade of the species, a more thorough review of the fishery was decided in 2001.

What’s a Significant Trade Review?
Significant Trade Reviews are undertaken in CITES when there is concern about levels of trade in an Appendix II species. Undertaking a Significant Trade Review and implementing corrective measures mandated by the CITES Standing Committee ensure the long term sustainability of species for which the process is conducted. The CITES Animals Committee, which is composed of representatives of the various geographic regions of CITES, is charged with providing advice and guidance on all matters relevant to international trade in animal species.

What did the Significant Trade Review for queen conch consist of?
A draft review of the species, written by TRAFFIC-Europe was sent to all range and importing countries in late April, giving them 60 days to comment on the report. The report, which included input and comment from exporting and range countries, found that trade from many countries is known or suspected to be unsustainable, and that illegal harvest, including fishing of the species in foreign waters and subsequent illegal international trade, is a common and widespread problem in the region.

Besides sending the review for countries to read, were other actions taken to gather information?
To ensure the active participation of countries in the Wider Caribbean in the review, the United States, using funding from the Department of State and the Office of Protected Resources, convened a workshop in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in June 2003, to which we invited fisheries and CITES Authorities from countries in the region, in addition to representatives of CARICOM-Fisheries, FAO-WECAFC and the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute. The workshop was convened under the auspices of the Caribbean Fishery Management Council’s International Queen Conch Initiative. Since the workshop was convened within the comment period, both the remarks of range countries and general recommendations of the workshop became part of the review.

How was the CITES decision made?
At the Animals Committee meeting (August 18-21,2003 - Geneva), a working group consisting of the AC representative of Central and South America and the Caribbean (a citizen of the Dominican Republic), participants from the US, France, Mexico, UK, TRAFFIC-Europe and the Secretariat considered the report and made recommendations (see attached), which have been implemented by the CITES Standing Committee. (add site for CITES notification, when available).

What is the main action being taken by CITES?
CITES is recommending that all countries prohibit the importation of queen conch imports from three Caribbean countries; Honduras, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, because populations of the species in these countries are currently being exploited at rates that may be unsustainable.

Is the embargo permanent?
No. The restrictions will be lifted when the countries have taken the following actions:
• Identification of areas to be designated for commercial fisheries;
• Undertaking of density studies in these designated areas;
• Identification and analysis of trends in available landing data;
• Establishment of a standardized minimum meat weight that corresponds to adult specimens of unprocessed and processed meat; and
• Based on the results of the density studies, analysis of landing trends and standardized meat weight to establish cautious catch and export quotas in consultation with the Secretariat.

So does this mean that queen conch will no longer be available while the embargo is in place?
Absolutely not, queen conch will be available from many other Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands, that have well-managed queen conch fisheries.